Yellowface: Orientals in Popular Culture The history of the Asian presence in America presents evidence of racism and classism. As a result, the Oriental stereotype was developed in American culture that has negatively impacted the immigration and rights of naturalization, citizenship opportunities, economic rights, and social involvement of Asian-Americans. The cultural designation of the color yellow to identify Orientals is a classic example of race identification, and the categorical ideology that accompanies racial opposition to whiteness. In his article, "Yellowface," Robert G. Lee cites evidence of Oriental racism in American Popular Culture and discusses how it has affected the perception of Orientals as true Americans. The "alien" condition of Orientals assimilated into American culture has stereotypically prevented their full characterization as Americans.

The cultural stereotype rooting Orientals to misconceptions over loyalty to homeland and their identification as a racial presence is the basis of Lee's discussion. Through historical...

As a result of the conjured racist images of Orientals, alienation rather than true assimilation has occurred. Lee raises several main points to explain the "alien" condition of Asian-Americans. He first delves into popular culture and its effect on race identification, and then he considers the family as a stereotypical apparatus. He also presents six images of the Oriental person, each signifying a cultural viewpoint across American popular culture.
American popular culture categorizes citizens based on race, ethnicity and national identity, sexuality, and gender, producing a "common understanding" of groups like the Orientals as a race separate from the perceived norm. The ethnic identification of Orientals causes society to make distinctions of Asian class and race, generating a discernment of their national identification as Asian rather than American. When examining the family unit, the economic and social…